The calm -- and the fun -- after the storm

Deborah Young/Staten Island AdvanceAislinn Urciuoli, 6, of New Brighton, and Carmine D'Angelo, 4, of Port Richmond, take a ride down the slope at Martling's Pond at Clove Lakes Park with Santa, who arrived courtesy of the city Department of Parks and Recreation, which also provided free hot chocolate and sleds to use.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --- For generations, Staten Islanders have celebrated the first snowfall of the season by speeding belly-first down the smooth, wide slope near Martling's Pond in Clove Lakes Park.

The tradition continued Sunday, as hundreds of youngsters -- and even a sledding Santa, courtesy of the city Department of Parks and Recreation -- enjoyed the bounty left by the near-foot of snow, whizzing over packed powder on plastic disks, Styrofoam gliders and even some old-fashioned wooden sleds, laughing and screaming under the bright winter sun.

"It doesn't snow like this that much, so we were really excited to come," said Ed Ruffe, 16, who had walked to the park with his brother, Michael, from their West Brighton home.

Glancing at the slope, where the coating of snow had worn practically bare in spots, he said they had taken at least 50 runs down. "But before I came, I had to shovel the whole front yard and driveway, which took a while."

A Parks Department official estimated at least 400 people showed up to the spot by early afternoon, where Parks workers handed out free hot chocolate and had sleds on hand to loan out from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

By early afternoon, the 80-serving dispenser had been emptied and refilled five times -- slurped down by giddy sledders, who clutched the paper cups to warm their cold fingers.

Temperatures on Sunday only reached 34 degrees on Staten Island, according to Accuweather.com. Borough residents dedicated some of their day to shoveling their steps, driveways and cars out, after the storm that began Saturday dumped some 11.2 inches at Newark and 14.2 inches at John F. Kennedy airports, and 10.9 inches in Central Park.

"It will be much quieter weather this week; we expect sunshine for the next several days but there will still be gusty winds out of the northwest," said Andy Mussoline, a meteorologist with AccuWeather.Com. Temperatures Monday and Tuesday will peak in the low 30s, but with the winds it will feel colder, he said.

Parking was tight at the Staten Island Mall, New Springville, on the last weekend shopping day before Christmas, especially as would-be spots were occupied by giant mounds of snow cleared from the rest of the lot.

"I hate the snow," mused Michelle Bradley, of Oakwood Beach, the manager of the Portrait Studio at JC Penney, who arrived late to work because she couldn't get her car out of the driveway. "I had to wait for a neighborhood kid to come by and shovel me out. When I lived in Brooklyn I could take the subway and the roads were all plowed. This is really tough."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that overnight the city Sanitation Department had 2,400 people and 2,000 pieces of equipment out clearing the snow. He said main roads and highways were already fairly clear by Sunday morning.

Bloomberg also said city retailers weren't hard hit because the snow held off until late Saturday.

Motorists here cherry-picked their routes, trying to avoid unplowed streets, and small-time businessmen hoping to make a little extra pocket cash for the holidays, shoveled neighbors' cars out of piles of snow.

Across the Island, dozens of small fender benders resulted when vehicles lost traction and slid into each other, but major accidents and other problems were avoided.

"The snow is good in some ways and bad in others; you're going to hear all kinds of stories," said Mary Cristadoro, of Eltingville, whose son shoveled and drove her to mass nearby at Holy Child R.C. Church, where she said attendance was way down because of the weather. "It's looks like Christmas and when night comes with all the lights in the trees, it will look very pretty."